FTT could end AIDS in 15 years

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It’s World AIDS Day-Sophie Baillon from Coalition PLUS explains the important role of the European Financial Transactions Tax (EU FTT) in funding the fight to end HIV/AIDS by 2030.

Sophie and her team have worked directly with us for a number of years on the FTT, looking at how it can continue to support global health initiatives.

Ending the epidemic

35 years after the onset of HIV/AIDS, we’ve come a long way. AIDS-related deaths have fallen by 45% since 2005 and over 18 million people are now accessing treatment. This progress is important but we can’t afford to take our foot off the pedal. Our work isn’t over.

AIDS continues to kill 100,000 people every month. It is still the primary cause of mortality among teenagers in Sub-Saharan Africa, and among women from 15 to 44 years old worldwide.

At the 2015 United Nations General Assembly, heads of states committed to ending the epidemic by 2030. This is a bold and welcomed goal but actions must speak louder than words. We need funds.

$7bn in extra funding is needed every year to end HIV/AIDS. With this extra money, the UN calculates that 28 million new infections and 21 million AIDS-related deaths will be prevented. Without it there’s a real chance that the epidemic will bounce back aggressively.

Not only could 35 years of work be undone, there’s a greater cost at hand – people’s lives.

So how do we raise it?

An alliance of European organisations, including Coalition PLUS, its French member AIDES and its Portuguese member GAT have published a report outlining the role of the EU FTT as a funding tool in the global fight against AIDS.

The EU FTT could raise a total of €22bn every year. 30% of that is all we need to bridge the funding gap and stop HIV/AIDS by 2030.

Hakima Himmich, President of Coalition PLUS, said: “The EU FTT could be the saving tool for millions of people living with HIV who cannot access treatment. We now know that this tax will be implemented. Europe must act to end AIDS, by allocating part of the EU FTT proceeds to the global fight against the epidemic”.

The world’s poorest and most vulnerable are still the worst affected by HIV/AIDS – 95% of new infections occur in the global south. Countries that can afford it should act now.

The EU FTT is a matter of social justice which could help create a fairer world free of HIV/AIDS.